The present invention relates to energy recovery systems of the type used in roadways and other paths of rolling vehicles to generate electricity or perform other useful work.
As energy costs have risen and the environmental aspects of power production are more critical then ever before, it has become necessary to develop other avenues for the production of electricity and other forms of energy. The reliance of the modern world on electricity is ever increasing in a technological society; however, the ability to produce what is the lifeblood of an economy has been met with increasing environmental restrictions.
The predicted shortage of electricity has in recent times resulted in research and development of solar and wind power sources for the generation of electricity. Although these have practical uses there are obvious limitations related to weather patterns and land use priorities.
Another recognized source of potential power is the movement of vehicular traffic such as on highway and freeway systems. As populations have increased and urban sprawl has occurred, traffic and congestion has become increasingly concentrated and predictable. As early as 1929 the concept of recovering energy from vehicles moving over a roadbed was recognized (See U.S. Pat. No. 1,771,200 to Akers, entitled Traffic Air Compressor). U.S. Pat. No. 1,916,873 to Wiggins further discloses a roadway multi-treadle mechanism coupled through one-way clutches to an electric generator. Although many patents have been issued for devices such as these, none have apparently been commercially successful. Among the factors contributing to the lack of commercial success of the power conversion systems of the prior art, the following are believed to be significant:                1. They are inefficient in that they recover only a small portion of the energy taken from passing vehicles as useful work;        2. They are ineffective in that they are capable of producing only a small amount of useful work;        3. They are unreliable in that critical components are subject to breakage and/or excessive wear from shock loading; and        4. They are objectionable in that they subject passing vehicles to excessively rough passage.        
Thus there is a need for a roadway power conversion system that efficiently produces meaningful amounts of power, that is reliable, long-lasting, easy to install, and inexpensive to provide, and that otherwise overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.